Barnstable cemetery tour to trace history

Thursday

Apr 27, 2017 at 5:29 PMApr 27, 2017 at 5:29 PM

Perched on 4.5 acres of rolling hills, Lothrop Hill Cemetery in the village of Barnstable is one of the oldest burial grounds on Cape Cod.

It's the final resting place of many local families as well as such noteworthy people as Clifford Turpin, an aviator who flew with the Wright Brothers; Sturgis Library's beloved librarian of 54 years, Elizabeth Crocker Nye; and local historian Henry Kittredge.

Cape historian, book publisher and graphic designer Nancy Viall Shoemaker will lead a tour of the historic cemetery on May 6 as part of Sturgis Library's celebration of 150 years of service to the community. Along the way she will identify the changing styles of gravestones over the centuries and the signature handiwork of well-known gravestone carvers of the time.

Shoemaker has been exploring cemeteries most of her life noting that they contain “lots of history, art and passion that goes into memorializing. The grounds are beautiful, usually peaceful, and if we are to believe epitaphs, full of pious and very special people.”

Lothrop Hill Cemetery was established in 1643 and named for the Rev. John Lothrop, who settled the northern part of what is now the town of Barnstable in 1639. The minister is believed to be buried on the grounds, but his gravesite is unmarked. A separatist, Lothrop and his followers worshiped in secret because they did not believe in the practices of the Church of England, a punishable offense. The cemetery was adjacent to the site of the first meetinghouse in this area. Burial grounds were often on the property of or near the meetinghouse, which was the center of government, worship and social activity.

The cemetery has two of the three oldest gravestones on the Cape, including one for the final resting place of Hope Chipman, who died in 1683. The intriguing inscription on her stone reads that she “changed her life for a beer.” The combining of the letters, known as a ligature, was distorted. The true phrase should have read that “she changed her life for a better one,” Shoemaker said.

Stone carvers would typically travel to the Cape during the spring looking for business, Shoemaker noted. One of the most prolific, however, was a local, Nathaniel Holmes, who carved over 1,400 gravestones from his shop in Barnstable Village. About 370 of his gravestones are located in the Barnstable cemetery.

During her tour Shoemaker will point out the changes in gravestones over the centuries. There are eight stones from the 1600s, many of which are in remarkably good shape because they were made from highly compressed slate instead of wood. Slate was the stone of choice in the 1700s, followed by marble, a softer stone that was easier to carve, in the 1800s. Granite became the fashion in the 20th century because it is much harder and better withstands the passage of time and elements such as acid rain, Shoemaker said.

Gravestone art changed over the years. Willows and urns were prevalent during the 1800s. The grim images of skulls and crossbones gave way to gentler images such as winged cherubs, trumpeting angels and sunbursts symbolizing the Resurrection and hope for redemption, in the 1700s and 1800s. Portrait stones that memorialized a person's life also became popular. Table tombs were created for people who were famous or respected, such as for Thomas Hinckley, the 14th and last governor of the Plimoth Colonies, who lies under a marble and brick table. Today, personal art is digitally etched onto the stone for more personal images, Shoemaker said.

The epitaphs on gravestones reflect that life was not easy for the early settlers, who died in their 20s and 30s, Shoemaker said. Although many women died in childbirth, accidents and fires were the main causes of death. Only half of children lived to adulthood.

The cemetery is also the resting place for Donald Trayser, former editor of the Barnstble Patriot, a respected historian and author, and his wife, Annabel. The couple is buried next to her family, the Jeraulds, a well-known Barnstable seafaring family. A recent addition to the cemetery was the Rev. Kenneth Warren, who fought against racism when he welcomed the Reverse Freedom Riders to the Cape in the summer of 1962.